The tour starts on Saturday. Until Lance came along, for 100 years only 4 men (Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain) were able to win the Tour 5 times, and only Miguel Indurain consecutively. Lance has already won it six times in a row and is now going for Seven! He is certainly among the older age bracket in the tour with some good younger competition.

There probably are only 10 predicted contenders that have a realistic, though some optimistic, chance at winning....or at being among the top 3. Who do you think will win the tour this year?

I voted for Lance, he seems to have the most experience winning the tour. Not to go OT in the OT thread but whatever happened to those rumors about him possibly doping (I dont think he does but I can understand how others think he might.)

I voted for Lance, he seems to have the most experience winning the tour. Not to go OT in the OT thread but whatever happened to those rumors about him possibly doping (I dont think he does but I can understand how others think he might.)

With all the foriegn press on it....good question.

The best answer is from the Press conference I saw with Lance about 5-8 months ago. It was dealing with a book that was being published in somewhere in the EU (maybe GB) mainly focused on the fact that Lance HAS to be taking drugs. Who could do what he has done with the challenges he has face? filed suit for slander...never what came of it though.

The bottom line is....They had no evidence. Lance IS the most drug tested pro athlete in the world from any sport, with every single test coming back negative. It is also known that he starts training months before a lot other pro cyclists do and trains on average 2-4 hours longer daily. I think the digs he made during a few commecials, especially the Nike one, says it all:

I think it was really the Frenchies that are having trouble with his successes.

"It appears that since the French have yet to find a way to beat
Lance Armstrong in their national cycling tour, they are going to
great lengths to bring him down through other means. On
January 20th, the six-time winner of the Tour de France was
forced, yet again, to field questions revolving around an
investigation by French authorities into alleged doping practices."

I think it was really the Frenchies that are having trouble with his successes.

"It appears that since the French have yet to find a way to beat
Lance Armstrong in their national cycling tour, they are going to
great lengths to bring him down through other means. On
January 20th, the six-time winner of the Tour de France was
forced, yet again, to field questions revolving around an
investigation by French authorities into alleged doping practices."

Heck the french only won their first single stage in the Tour last year after how many years? They haven't had anyone as a serious contender since the days of Bernard Hinault when Greg Lemond finally put him back in his place with his broken promises of support.

Do you say this because, historically, Lance builds up a substantial lead in the climbs?

Because he rules in the mountains. For the last 6 years, with VERY few isolated situations (mostly from last year), no one....and I am not exagerating...no one has been able to answer him in the mountains. He has had the freedom from his ability to attack on que whenever he felt like it.

Also historically he stamps his dominance on the first day in the mountains. It is has been his way of saying, I am here and I am in charge.

On Alpe DíHeuz up hill time trial, with it's 21 switchbacks it mostly recognized as one of the hardest climbs in any tour, in only 15.5 short kilometers and climbing over 1130 m in elevation, Lance was able to put anywhere from 1-3 minutes on that one stage alone on each of his closest rivals.

Because he rules in the mountains. For the last 6 years, with VERY few isolated situations (mostly from last year), no one....and I am not exagerating...no one has been able to answer him in the mountains. He has had the freedom from his ability to attack on que whenever he felt like it.

I guess whats amazing to me about that fact is that you would think if someone could push him (I mean really challenge him) then I could understand more how much more he is driven (mental toughness). Because no one can really challenge him in the mountains, it makes his dominance that much more impressive.

With a heart 1/3 larger, pumping 9 gallons of blood per minute (normal is about 4) and the ability to purge his body of lactic acid more quickly then the normal person, seems like he's found the perfect sport for his physioligy...